Vehicle-wheel.



'is stiffened and the side flanges are spaced mrnp sratrns PATENTorruon.

FRANKLIN A. FROMMANN, OF CHICAGQILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO OLIVE FROMMAN'N,OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1.916.

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN A. FROM- MANN, citizen of the'UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVehicle-Wheels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the in my copending applications filedDec. 9,

1912, as Serial Numbers 7 35,723 and 7 35,7 21.

My present invention relates to a novel construction of the resilientmembers interposed between tires'or rims of this general 7 class and thehubs of the wheels upon which they are used.

The object of this invention is to provide such an intermecharyresilient structure comprising a plurality of cushioning units, each ofwhich may easily be removed or replaced; to construct such cushioningunits with bases adapted to interlocksecurely with correspondingformations upon the hub rim or felly of. the wheel, and also adapted tohold the cushions in effective positions laterally of the wheel; also toso construct these cushioning units as to permit of their having greatcompressibility and resiliency' while still providing them with thetoughness of exterior requisite for withstanding the strains upon them.V N

' A further ob 'ect of my invention is to provide bumpers interposedbetween the cushioning elements for limiting the distension of thesecushions circumferentially of the wheel.

Still another object of my invention is to utilize these bumpers asbraces between the side plates of the wheel, whereby the wheel at therequisite distance from each other for properly guiding the tire.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specificationand fromthe accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a fragmentary side View of a wheel embodying myinvention, parts of the same being shown in section. Fig. -2 shows asection through Fig. -l along the line 22. Fig. 3 shows a sectionthrough Fig. 1 along the line 33. Fig. 4 shows an enlarged perspectiveof one of the cushioning elements.

In employing my invention, I preferably use a tire constructioncomprising a substantially inflexible tire I having upon itscircumference a large number of grooves for holding tread blocks 2 ofwood or other suitable materials. Thistire l is guided laterally of thewheel by side plates or flanges 3 fastened to opposite sides of a rim orfelly t by bolts 5. The rim ,or felly 4, together with the spokes 5supporting the same, are preferably cast integral with the hub 6 of thewheel. Upon the circumferential face ,of the rim .or felly 4 I provide wgrooves extending transversely across the said face ofthe rim or fellyand preferably dovetail shaped in section. Into each of these grooves Islide the correspondingly shaped base of a cushioning. member 7 whichmember is adapted to project above the face of the rim .or felly 4: to aheight corresponding approximately to the radial distance between therim l .and theinner face of the tire 1. J

The cushion 7 preferably is made of vulcanized rubber andprovided at itstop with a plurality of dome-shaped projections 8 adapted to bear attheir tips against the tire 1. Each cushion 7 also is preferably madewith a core 9 of softer and more easily distorted material than the restof thecushion and with an extension .10 upon its base portion, whichextension serves to space the cushions transversely of the rim or fellyportion of the hub with which they have interlocking engagement. Theentire dovetail shaped base of the cushioning member preferablyhas aseries .ef layers of textile or wire cloth fabric 10 embedded in thesame, whereby the base portion is stiflened so that it will not betwisted or wrenched out of the groove which retainsit, in case thecushion is severely, flexed. As a further safeguard against such apossible loosening of the cushions from the grooves in the rim orfellyA, I preferably. provide the base of each cushion with a binding 11of. stcelor other sheet metal. In positioning the cushions 7 upon therim or felly 4:, they are not so closely spaced that the cushions willbear against one another when distended circumferentially of the wheel,but the grooves in the rim or felly 4 are so widely separated asto allowconsiderable space between the adjacent cushlons 7. In each of thesespaces 1 position a bumper member 12 conslstmg of a steel. tubeextending transversely of the wheel and fitting at its ends intoperfora-' tions 13 in the side flanges 3 of the wheel. The bumpertube12has an enlarged flange 14 near: each end, adapted to bear against therespective inner faces of the side plates 3 of thewheel, the portions ofthe bumper tube extending beyond the flanges 14 being shorter than thethickness of the side plates I 3. Bolts 15 extending through the tubes12 enable the side plates to be drawn up tightly against the flanges onthe tubes, thereby uniting the tubes and side plates into a single rigidstructure, which inturn is rigidly secured to the body of the wheel bythe bolts 5. j V

When'pressure is exerted upon any point ofthe tire tending to move thesame toward the wheel body, the cushions in proximity to this portion ofthe tire will be compressed radially of the wheel and distendedcircumferentially of the latter, but in doing so they will engage theadjacent bumper tubes which will maintain the cushionsin a substantiallyradial position. Otherwise, the

tire in slipping or creeping circumferentially with respect to thecushions might tend to carry the tips of the cushions with it and ifthis circumferential strain upon the cushions were not checked, it mightdistort the cushions beyond the limit of their normal resiliency. Byinterposing the bumper members 12 I obviate any chance of such anoverstraining of the cushions while still permitting the latter to begreatly distended'and to be flexed circumferentially of the wheel to alimited extent, whereby the strains .upon the tire may be transmitted toa large number of :the cushioning elements, while. the tire itself mayslip or creep over I j the tips of the cushions until checked by thefrictionbetween. the tire and these cushions. It willbe obviousfrom thedrawings that p when thereis no strain on the wheel, every cushion willabut against the inner surface move the' tire from a position concentricof the hub.

Having thus shown and described my invention in an embodiment capable ofbeing modified in manifold ways without departing fromthe spirit of myinvention, what I claim as new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is:

1. In a wheel, a felly provided with trans verse peripheral groovesextending entirely across said felly at regular intervals, each groovehaving a contracted mouth portion, cushions each having a reinforcedmetal covered base adapted to fit within said grooves, side plates forsaid felly projecting beyond the periphery thereof, retaining saidcushions in said grooves, and a tire mounted between said side platesand upon said cushions and spacing members joining said side plates andinterposed between adjacent cushions.

2. In a wheel, a felly provided with transverseperipheral grooves atregular intervals, each groove having a contracted mouth portion,cushions each having a reinforced metal covered base adapted to fitwithin said grooves, side plates for said felly projecting beyond theperiphery thereof, and retaining said cushions in said grooves, a tireslidably mounted upon said cushions between said side plates andmaintained by said cushions normally concentric with said felly, thedepth of said cushions being greater than the normal width of theannular space between said felly and said tire and spacers carried bysaid side plates and interposed between adjacent cushions. j

3. In a wheel, a felly provided with transverse peripheral grooves atregular intervals, each groove having a contracted mouth portion,cushions each having a reinforced metal covered base adapted to fitwithin said grooves, side plates for said felly projecting beyond theperiphery thereof and retaining said cushions in said grooves, separatorsleeves secured at their ends to said side plates and passing betweensaid cushions, and a tire movably disposed between said side plates andupon said cushions.

4. Inawheel, a felly provided with transverse peripheral grooves atregular intervals, each groove having a contracted mouth portion, a pairof cushions each having a reinforced base mounted in each groove, eachbase ofeach cushion being of greater width than its crown portion andmaintaining an open space between the crown portions thereof, a tiremovably mounted upon said cushions, and side plates on the fellyengaging the, side edges of said tire and holding the latter andsaidcushions in place relatively to' the telly, there being a free spacebetween the verse peripheral grooves at regular intervals,

each groove having a contracted mouth portion, a pair of cushions eachhaving a reinforced base mounted in each groove, each base of eachcushion being of greater width than its crown portion and maintaining anopen space between the crown portions thereof, a tire movably mountedupon said cushions, and side plates on the telly engaging the side edgesof said tire and holding the latter and said cushions in placerelatively to the telly, there being a free space between the crownportion of each cushion and the contiguous side plate, and separatorsleeves secured at their ends to said'side plates and passing throughthe spaces between the crown portions and contiguous pairs of cushions.

6. In a wheel, a felly, a tire, and a plurality of cushioning membersinterposed therebetween and spaced apart, each of the said cushioningmembers having interlocking engagement with the felly; side platescarried by the telly, and bumpers carried by the said side plates andinterposed circumferentially between the cushioning members, saidbumpers resisting tipping of said cushioning members into the free spacebordering the same.

7. In a wheel, a telly, a tire, and a plurality of cushioning membersinterposed therebetween spaced apart, each of the said cushioningmembers having interlocking engagement with the telly; side platescarried by the felly, and bumpers carried by the said side plates andinterposed circumferentially between the cushioning members, the saidbumpers serving as spacers for keeping the side plates at apredetermined distance from each other, each of said bumpers occupyingthe full width of the space between two'contiguous cushions andaffording supports for said cushions to prevent excessive deflectionthereof circumferentially of the wheel.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

FRANKLIN A. FROMMANN.

\Vitnesses:

RUDOLPH WM. LOTZ, M. M. BOYLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

'Washington, D. G.

